Alter Ingernio and the Gathering Darkness
by Acanthi-Brisk
Summary: "I never liked the dark." Skylar muttered to Albus, shivering slightly. "Neither do I, but we have to fight it Sky, the darkness is gathering more and more each day." Albus said sadly./A second generation story/
1. The broom stunt preformer

_A dream within a dream..._

_the magic of depth._

_Ever changing, re-arranging..._

_don't fear the darkness._

_Like the changing leaves..._

_like the changing tides..._

_Like the curving lines of fate,_

_bent ever so slightly in our favour..._

_just like these dreams._

_We are but a breath..._

_an inhale of the world..._

_just like a blade of grass..._

_like these calm hours..._

_Glowing of red,_

_just like the fresh blood..._

_fresh blood of the new generation..._

_Don't fear the darkness._

Skylar Renee Jones was a broom stunt performer. She could ride on two brooms at once, one foot on each. She could do a handstand while flying. She could hang upside down by her feet. She could even shoot straight up in the air, feet resting on the top of the tail.

Right now, Skylar was trying a new move: lying down on three brooms at once, on her stomach, while flying at about ten miles per hour – starting out slow.

The trick was to subtly guide the broom, but not move too much: one hand on the middle broom, calf on the lower broom, other hand at the top. Be perfectly synchronized, and don't be afraid you'll fall, because the brooms can sense it.

_Okay, deep breaths, _she told herself as she sat up on her knees on the first broom. It had to be instantaneous: she had to lay down the second she placed the brooms – they would only hover so long in midair.

_One…Two…Three!_

She dropped them, lying down, she was perfectly positioned…and then –

"Hey, Sky!" yelled a voice below her.

"Arrrgghhh!" Skylar cried, slipping off the brooms.

Her long brown hair streaked behind her as she fell, the red, yellow, orange, blue, pink, and purple streaks shimmering in the summer sun of the evening. Her blue eyes widened as she headed strait for the grass covered ground, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She could feel the sting in her eyes as the hard air stung them, but her eyes stayed wide, frozen in place, staring in horror at the ground that was coming closer...closer...closer

"Ugh!" Skylar grunted as the wards caught her ten feet from what could have been her doom.

As she touched the soft green grass, Skylar glared at the pink and blue haired girl in from of her.

"It's not _funny, _Dominique Nymphadora Weasley!" the blue-eyed girl said angrily, for the other girl was rolling on the ground, laughing.

"It was too!" Dominique countered, standing up and still chuckling. "You should have seen your face… '_Arrgghhh!_'" she quoted, and burst into laughter again.

"_DOMINIQUE NYMPHADORA Weasley!" _cried another voice, this one from the edge of the field.

Dominique groaned as Rose Weasley and Albus Potter strode into view. Or rather, a very angry Rose drug Albus over to them. Rose's dark flaming red hair fanned around her back as she walked, or more like sprinted to the two girls.

"What is it with you guys using my full name today?" The pink and blue haired girl demanded.

"You deserve it! You could have killed Skylar!" Rose fumed, her face the same colour as her hair.

Albus and Dominique both rolled their eyes.

"She had the wards up." Dominique pointed out.

"But what if she hadn't?" demanded Rose, sounding extraordinarily like her mother at that moment.

"Nevermind that," Skylar said dismissively. "I _almost _had that move down!"

"Really?" asked Albus curiously, pushing his black glass back up his nose, his bright emerald eyes, which got him many complements, sparkled in the faint sun light. The messy black haired boy opened his mouth to say more, but went silent under the glare from Rose.

"You could have _died!" _she cried.

"But I didn't," reminded Skylar. "Wait, why are you guys out here anyway?"

"We came to get you two for dinner," Albus said, jumping at the chance to change the subject. "Everyone's coming over."

"Alright," said Skylar, "I'll just drop the brooms off at my house."

With that, the cousins set off through Godric's Hallow Quidditch pitch.

As Skylar walked her mind wondered...

During the time that Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley stayed with the Order members, Dudley met someone special: Happy Jones, daughter of Hestia Jones. Dudley and Happy fell in love, and got married after the war. Unfortunately, Dudley was under the impression that Happy was simply an muggle like himself, so when he found out, he left. Happy found out much to her horror, that Dudley had been in a car crash, not four streets away from there home. So, Happy was left alone to raise their daughter, Skylar.

She moved to Godric's Hallow right next to Ron and Hermione Weasley, as well as Harry and Ginny Potter. Skylar was born around the same time as Rose and Dominique Weasley, Albus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, and Fred and Roxanne Weasley, along with the children of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's other friends: Orla Longbottom (named after Orla Quirke, who died in the Final Battle), Lavender Finnegan, Noel Davies, Morag Smith, and Patrick Dunstan.

When Albus said, "Everyone" he meant all the Weasleys, Potters, Scamanders, and Longbottoms, as well as Teddy Lupin and Andromeda Tonks, Scorpius Malfoy, and Skylar and her mother. There were currently seventeen Weasleys – including parents and children - five Potters, four Scamanders, and eight Longbottoms.

During the holidays, the six families would often have these gatherings – not every day of course, because that would be insane, but every few weeks or so. They got together at Arthur and Molly's newly re-built home. It was still called the Burrow, but had been expanded to the size of a small mansion, now that Arthur was head of the Magical Secrecy branch of the Ministry and they received compensation for the war.

Skylar shook her head, smiling slightly as they came to the small house she and her mother lived in. The house was small, for it was after all only the two of them. It was cream, with dark red shutters, and blooming roses in the flower garden.

"Is that you, Sky?" called Happy Jones from the second floor as Skylar, Dominique, Rose, and Albus walked in. "We need to leave for the Burrow in a quarter!"

"Alright, mum!" Skylar called up the stairs. She stowed her brooms in the cupboard under the stairs, then went quickly to her room to change.

Her room had light purple walls, with Quidditch posters lined on them, and a large cream and light purple bedding with a dark oak frame. A dark oak dresser as well as vanity stood on the opposite wall covered in pictures of Skylar and her friends as well as cousins.

It took her only two minutes to put on her purple and navy twofer dress, run a brush through her waist length hair before she went back to the living room.

Happy was standing by the door, digging through a small bag that Skylar knew she tended to loose things in all of the time. The woman had light red hair, nothing compared to the Weasley's fiery red. Her hair was shoulder length, with different streaks of colour, like her daughters. Her dark brown eyes glared at the small bag, as she sighed in frustration, running a hand through her hair.

"What did you loose this time, mum?" Skylar asked, holding back her laughter as she skipped to her mother's side.

"My keys." Happy Jones said, turning to look at Skylar, letting the small bag drop to her side.

"Mum? Why do you need your keys? They car's just for looks! You don't even know how to drive!" Skylar said, her eyes narrowing in exasperation.

"Your Uncle Ron can drive." Happy defended herself, though she knew it was a loosing battle, her daughter was just too much like her grandmother in that way.

"Yes well, I'm pretty sure that Uncle Ron had to confund the teacher." Skylar said, cracking a grin at the thought of her Uncle doing that, it just seemed so Ron.

"Yeah, I bet he did." The woman said grinning, before both mother and daughter burst into laughter.

"Come one." Happy said, after there laughing died down. "We have to go before we're late, you know what Mrs. Weasley did last time."

Skylar shivered remembering that day. They wouldn't be late this time, Skylar thought as she dragged her mother through the door. If they were late again...Skylar shuttered at the picture her mind conjured up, and she thought there was nothing worse than having to walk around in a horrid pink frilly dress for 3 weeks...

* * *

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	2. The Family

The backyard of the Borrow was full of people. Skylar could make out the dark red hair of most of the Weasley's, see the light blond of Fleur, and the strawberry blond of Victoire.

"Skylar! There you are, I was sure you were going to be late, again." Scorpius said, coming up to the rainbow haired girl, grinning.

"Shut up, and I was just fashionably late." sniffed Skylar, but the grin on her lips betrayed her humor.

"Are you going to give me a hug or do I still have codices?" The blond teen asked, with a teasing smirk. A smirk that was almost always on the Hufflepuffs face. Yes, Scorpius Malfoy was a Hufflepuff. It was a shock for almost everyone, but not much to Skylar, for she had sat the whole train ride with the blonde haired boy, and got to know him pretty well.

"Hey! That was one time." Skylar slugged Scorpius in the shoulder before wrapping her arms around him in a quick hug.

"I have missed you." Scorpius muttered in her hair making Skylar grin.

"I'm just so lovable." She smirked, in a fake arrogant voice, sounding much like her cousin James Sirius. He was the one to teach her after all.

"Sky!" Shouted a redhead blur before Skylar was holding a dark red haired girl, with sparkling blue eyes.

"Hi Miss. Lily." She smiled at the smaller girl, who was two heads shorter than her.

"_LILY!_" The yell came from Aunt Ginny who was standing beside Harry, holding something that was obviously Lily's.

Skylar watched the girls retreating back, jumping when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't do that!" She scolded Albus as he just laughed at her shocked face.

"But it's funny." He gave a cute pout, almost making Skylar cave.

"You know that pout doesn't work on me, it may work on Rosie, just not me." Skylar said, crossing her arms, waiting for the shout that was sure to come.

"_DON'T CALL ME ROSIE!_"

"Merlin, one day I think she is going to burst one of our ear drums." Dominique said, coming up to Skylar and Albus, who gave nods in return.

"Hey where is Teddy?" Scorpius asked, coming back from where ever he had gone.

"I saw him over with Uncle Harry." Dominique said, pointing to where you could make out a head of messy black hair.

"Thanks." Scorpius said, before he disappeared back into the crowd of what was there family.

Skylar knew that it was very important to Scorpius to maintain a good relationship with Teddy, for they were cousins. His grandmother was Teddy's grandmother's sister. Teddy, according to Scorpius, was his only sane family member. Teddy was one of the reasons that Scorp was part of the family, for Teddy was just as much a part as he is.

"Thinking?" Aunt Hermione asked, as she sat down next to her on the picnic table, where she had moved to almost subconsciously.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about my third year..." Skylar trailed of, lost in thought.

"Well, let's hope that it won't be like my third year." Hermione said, with slightly sad eyes. The eyes that the all of the next generation had seen their parents get when they talked of the war, the deaths, everything.

"Come on, the food will be ready in a bit." Hermione said, pulling her back into the large crowd of redheads, and the occasional black hair, or blonde.

Ron, George, Bill, Teddy, and Charlie were at one end of the table, their heads bent together. Every few minutes, they would all break apart and laugh like maniacs for a moment, then go back to their conversation. Skylar had a feeling they were telling 'off-color' jokes, as grandma Molly put it. Percy watched them disapprovingly.

Ernie and James sat together, busily discussing Quidditch or some other boy thing. Molly II, Victoire, Rose, and Aunt Andromeda were talking to Alice, Louis, and Lucy about Hogwarts, as they were starting this year. Roxy, Fred, and Orla were sketching something under the table… Skylar decided she didn't want to know.

Grandpa Arthur had trapped poor Scorpius and was lecturing him about Muggle electronics: he now considered himself a Muggle expert.

Uncles Neville and Harry we re-telling The Story for the billionth and a half time:

"Ernie was a really strong bloke, and he was holding the doors for us, the Entrance Hall doors to be exact." Uncle Neville was saying. He and Harry never liked to gloat about their "adventures" – or, rather, horrors – but they both believed that the children needed to be told about this as often as possible, so they know it _can _happen. They always cooled it down a bit for the younger ones: Kevin, Trevor, and Natalie, for the most part, but not as much for even the eleven year olds. When Hermione, Fleur, Molly I, and Audrey complained, Neville reminded them that there were eleven year olds that had to _see _it; hearing it was nothing compared to that.

"I needed to get through, along with Professor Sprout and a few others – we were going to throw Mandrakes over the wall at the death eaters," Neville continued. He now had the full attention of everyone. "Of course, Ernie couldn't let us through without knowing who we were for certain, so I told him, 'Cecily'." He smiled at the memory.

"Why'd you say that, daddy?" asked Kevin, his round faced shinning with the light of Story Time.

"Because Ernie was going to name the daughter his wife was pregnant with, Cecily." Reminded Uncle Neville. "Remember? You've met her."

Seven year old Trevor rolled his eyes. "Of course he does, but you have to ask, it's part of the story!"

Everyone laughed.

Skylar sat under the tall apple tree, smiling as she watched the others laughing and play. She watched Uncle Bill pick Dominique up, making her squeal. Skylar felt a pang of sadness, and something she hardly ever felt: Jealousy.

She never really thought about her father, of course she always wondered what her life would have been like had Dudley not hated her mother for being a witch. She knew that she definitely wouldn't have been as close to her cousins had her father still been alive.

"It's not good to think to hard, the nargles are very attracted to that." A voice said, as they said down next to her. Skylar turned to smile at Auntie Luna, who always seemed to make her feel better, it was one of the reasons she was her favorite Aunt, the only one who got the title of Auntie.

"Come on. I think the boys want to start a game of Quidditch." Luna gave her a dreamy smile, before getting off of the dry grass, dusty herself off, and holding out a hand to Skylar, who took it with a smile.

…...

"Okay, Skylar, Fred, and James, Chaser. Albus, Seeker. Lysander and Lorcan you can be Beaters, and I will be the Keeper." Teddy said, ordering them out onto the makeshift field in the Burrow's backyard.

Skylar, Fred, and James had always worked well together, everyone claimed that they had some telepathic link, so they could talk to each other in there mind, as crazy as it sounds. No, they didn't have a mind link, they just had always played together for so long that they knew each other very well on the field – off of it, Skylar wasn't very close to the two pranksters.

The game was against the children and the parents: George and Charlie were the Beaters, Harry the Seeker, Ron the Keeper, with Ginny, Angelina, and Bill as Chasers.

Honestly, it wasn't that fair, since the parents' team was made up of all former Quidditch player, two of whom had gone professional. But the children won, just barely. Albus ended up grabbing the snitch first, but it still was a close call.

Skylar laughed along with the other, grinning as Albus held the snitch above his head, his grin wider that Skylar thought possible. This was the first game that the children had ever won against their parents. It was a very happy victory.

"You did great Sky." Scorpius congratulated her, with a large smile.

"Thanks, but it was really Albus who got the winning score." Skylar said, re-stating something she had heard Mr. Weasley say about Muggle sports.

"Yeah, but you still are an amazing Chaser, and you have that mind link with James and Fred." Scorpius grinned smugly, seeing Skylar's irritation. Scorpius knew that she didn't have a mind link with them, and he was just trying to get her angry.

"You better shut up." Dominique said, as she walked over to them, pausing to hit Scorp on the back of the head.

"Hey!" He rubbed his head, making sure that his hair wasn't messed up. "What was that for?" He wined.

"For being an idiot."

"Dom, you claim everyone is an idiot." Scorpius said seriously.

"Well, they are." Dominique said defensively.

Skylar shook her head at their stupid argument, and walked away.

She saw it out of the corner of her eye: an imperceptible shift in behind the house, like someone had just ducked out of view.

Skylar shook her head, thinking it was probably nothing.

_I need to stay away from Moody's old books, _she told herself firmly.

* * *

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